City Primeval: High Noon In Detroit by Elmore Leonard (Avon 56952 – 1982)

“You know how many people I’ve killed?”
Clement Mansell figures the cops can’t nail him for his latest murder spree. The only evidence he left was the bullet-torn bodies of a judge and his girl. What Clement didn’t figure on is a cop who believes in old-fashioned justice.

“Some other time – we might have settled this between us. I mean if we each took the situation personally.”
Homicide detective Raymond Cruz would rather play by the book. But if the choice is to uphold the law of bring down a killer, his trigger finger will do the deciding.

Carolyn Wilder, lady lawyer, once sprang Clement on a technicality. Now he’s putting the touch on her for more than counsel. And that could be his last mistake.

A killer bumps off an unpopular and not-exactly-by-the-book judge and the game is on. A good, quick read but definitely not Leonard at his best. The characters aren’t quite as developed as I’d like and the relationships between them seem rushed, but they are likable and interesting enough to keep the story rolling. The prose is smooth and believable but not as witty as the usual EL story. It’s almost as if it were written as the basis for a PG-rated TV mini-series.

The back cover states “Soon A Motion Picture From United Artists” but, alas, it was not meant to be. At one point, Sam Peckinpah was slated to direct the film adaptation. Steve McQueen was approached for the lead but because of his failing health, he declined,